If you came into Saturday night not having watched the Lakers play a single game all season, you might find yourself thinking: "Man, what's all this talk about the Lakers stinking?" They didn't even have Anthony Davis and they just beat the Warriors, the team with the second-best record in the league. LeBron James scored 56 points and can still clearly carry even a flawed team to victory.
What am I missing?
Well, for one, the Lakers don't get to play the Warriors without Draymond Green every night. That's not to take anything away from LeBron's performance. He was magical. He's the reason nobody can fully give up on the Lakers, who are a pretty putrid NBA team otherwise. But the Warriors without Green? Whew. They're pretty hard to watch, too.
In Green's absence, Golden State's defense has become a train wreck over the last month. Since Feb. 1, Golden State has been a bottom-10 defensive unit surrendering over 115 points per 100 possessions, entering play on Saturday, when they gave up 124 to the Lakers. Prior to Green's injury, they were the No. 1 defense in the league giving up 102.2 points per 100.